Trailer or truck lock mechanism



' Oct. I l, 1932. J. KLINE 1,881,676

TRAILER OR TRUCK LO CK MECHANISM F iled Jan. 11, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L. J. KLINE 1,881,676

TRAILER OR TRUCK LOCK MECHANISM Filed Jan. 11, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllIIIIII// 7U Jaw 162206 J. 42976 Patented Oct. 11, 1932 cairn-n STATES PATENT orr cr.

LAWTRFNCE J. KLINE, OF' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MERCURY MANUFACTUR- INGr COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS TRAILER- onv'rnocx LOOK MECHANISM.

Application filed January 11,1930. Serial No. 420,054.

ac. with which they may come in contact or upset and damage the load that they carry.

Another objection to thepresent non-locking industrial vehicle of this character is that the vehicles move about during the loading 13, and unloading operations, sometimes causing the material being placed thereon or removed 7 therefrom to slip off the vehicle and injure the user, thus causing considerable pain and annoyance to the employee and loss of service 1c and expense to the employer;

In numerous instances, it has been observed that the user of thistype of vehiclewill frequently wedge a block of material against the periphery of the wheels for preventing the 2:7. truck from moving. This is a crude method which has'proven very unsatisfactory for maintaining the truck stationary during the loading and unloading operation.

In order 'to overcome these and other'obfan jections well known to those skilled in the art, a locking mechanism embodying the present invention was created.

In the present inventin,a truck or a trailer and the like is provided with alocking mechanism comprising a plurality of slidable looking rods positioned parallel to the axle of the truck for engaging the inner sides of the rear wheels of the vehicle. These rods are actuated by an interconnected lever rod and its associated parts from a handle member connected thereto, and which handle is mount ed on the front frame of the vehicle.

The actuation of the lever rod upwardly slidably moves the locking rod outwardly for 1 engaging the spokes of the wheel of the trunk,

and thereby preventing substantial rotatable movement of the same. The wheels are released from their locked position by reversing. the movementof the locking rod.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the drawings and specification.

This invention (in a preferred form thereof) is illustrated in the accompanying drawin s and hereinafter more fully described.

6n the drawings: I y Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a trailer embodying features of this invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view taken on the line IIII of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section drawn to an enlarged scale illustrating the lock mechanism embodied in this invention applied to a trailer.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section drawn to an enlarged scale and taken substantially on the line IVIV of,

Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

As shown on the drawings:

In the trailer selected as the industrial type of vehicle to illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, there are the conventional type of spoke-wheels 10 and 11.which' are journalled on a suitable shaft 12.

While the lock mechanism of this invention is illustrated as attached to the conventional type of industrial trailer, it is to be understood that this lock mechanism may be used on anyof the other industrial types of vehicles having two or more wheels, such as trucks andthe like.

Mounted on the ends of the shaft 12 (Figure 1) are the usual bearing members 13 and 14 for supporting a trailer frame 15. Attached to the front part of the frame is a conventional type of coupling mechanism 17 for. 7

connecting the trailer to a tractor or the like.

Spaced equidistantly apart and having their ends secured to the front and rear portion of. the frame are two angle members 18, each of which carries a bracket member 19 and 20. The brackets 19 and 20 are each provided with an integral U shaped lower portion having apertures for receiving and suplporting slidably movable locking rods 21 an 22.

The rod 22 which is longer than the rod i 21 has its inner portion inclined upwardly and extending beyond the inner end of the bifurcated inner end of the rod 21.

rod 21. The inner end of the rod 22 is bifurcated for pivotally receiving an end portion of a link 25 connected thereto. The other end of the link 25-:is pivotally connected to the A bracket 26 secured tothe'bracket 19 extends inwardly parallel to and above the rod 21"; Thebracket26 is provided with an aperture 27 for receiving an end portionof a pivotal rod 28. Theinner .end of the'rod 28 is provided with a smaller end portion that extends through an 'aperturedportion of the link 25 and is rigidly secured thereto by -meansiof a nurse. The rod 28inclinesupwardly and hasfitsouter end portion extending through an aperture in the frame 15.

-The outer end of the rod 28 is formed with I an integral downwardly extending 'member 30 having an'enlarged ball endportion 31 for providing ah'and gripping place for'pivotally actuating the rod 28;: i

A resilient L-shaped member 32 having its upwardly extending leg secured. to the jbracket 20isgbest illustrated in Figure 4.

The horizontal legof the bracket is provided with'aVV-shaped end portion for-engaging either of the grooves 33-34 ofthe rodr22 for normallyfmaintaining the rod either in operative or inoperative position. I I The-operation-of this. lock mechanism is briefly as follows: I I v I I a I I 1 Norm'allywhen the trailer 1S 1n its inoperative position, the lock mechanismis in the position illustrated in Figures 3 and 4:. When it is desired'tolock the trailer, the manipulation ofhandle' member-1 30 upwardly will pivotally move the rod 28- andthe link 25 vconnected thereto, slidably actuating the rods 2lxand 22 voutwardly so'that the outer .are engaged with the'rib portions ofth e Wheels 10V and 11, the V-shaped end of resillthat is simple-and inexpensive to Inanufac-i ent member 32. is in contact withthe slot 34 of'the rod 22to normally maintain'therod finits locked position; or f a I 1 Whenever it is desired to unlock the trailer from 'its locked. position, the vdownward 1 II I movement of the handle member 130 will ivj' id gro h n a members e-in the locking or unlocking 3os1tions,"whereby all ot'ally'. move the rod 28' in the oppositedirection for slidably actuating the rods 21 and v 22inwar'dly to thep'ositionqasdisclosed in Figure 4. In this position, the V shaped end tof the resilient member 32 will engage the fgroove 33 ofrod 22 fornormally maintaining the rod in its unlocked position.

It can-"readilybe seen that-I-have provided a'novelfilock mechanism for. industrial vehicles such as trucks, trailers and thelike,

to handle'andwhich eliminates'the objections to'the present non-locking "industrial vehicle. m

Now, of course, it is to bei understood that,

although 'theiinvention is illustrated and described in detail in the preferred embodiment thereof, the invention is not to-be thus limited, butonly insofar as defined by the scope and spirit of theappended claims I- claim as my invention: 11111 as industrial vehicle including a plurality of wheels, a frame carried by said whee s, a plurality of movable members for locking said wheels for preventingrotational :movement thereof, meansfsecured to said frame for supporting said members, detent means, onisaid" last mentioned means for latchin g said members in locked position and means, operable from the front of said vehicle for actuating said members.

[2. In a vehicle of the characteridescribed including a'pluralityof wheels, a frame supsaid frame, a plurality of members slidably disposed in said brackets, avlink pivotall'v wheels' against rotational movement, and a portedby said wheels, brackets mounted on res resilient member on the other, of said brackets for engagingvone of said first said mentioned members for maintaining the same in locked position. v t

3. In a vehicle of the-characterdescribed including, a plurality of-wheels, a frame structure, a plurality of members mounted for. reciprocable movement ,in said frame,

:each of said members being mounted contiguous one of said-wheels, means for actuatting said members topositions forlocking and ,unlocking said wheels, a plurality of trans verse grooves in one ofsaid members, and a member arranged for movement into one of scribed my name zit-Chicago, Cook County,

Illinois.

- LAWRENCEQTQKLINE. 

